Three Capes Track: booking, huts and what to expect

The Three Capes Track is a 46 km walk over four days and three nights on Tasmania's Tasman Peninsula. It officially opened on 21 December 2015. You book online, a boat from Port Arthur takes you to the start, and you stay in cabins along the way. Up to 48 walkers start each day.

Sources for this section: Three Capes Track site, home page, Experience, FAQs and terms; ABC News, 21 December 2015.

How booking works

Book on the official site, threecapestrack.com.au, which Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) manages. You pay the full fee by Mastercard or Visa credit card, and a receipt comes by email. Only adults can book. Anyone under 18 must walk with an adult, and one adult can be responsible for no more than three of them. Bookings run year-round.

When bookings opened in September 2015, ABC News reported A$495 for adults and A$395 for children and concession holders. At those prices, two adults and two children would pay A$1,780. The terms say current prices are on the booking site.

You cannot change or cancel on the website. Phone 1300 827 727 in business hours, or email PWS. A cancellation at least 14 days before your start gets 75% of the fee back. After that you are not entitled to a refund. Concession walkers show a valid Australian Pension, Health Care or Seniors card, or proof of age, at check-in.

Sources for this section: Official site, Book Now, Trip Essentials and terms; ABC News, 19 September 2015.

What the fee covers

The booking page lists entry, parking and secure lockers at Port Arthur Historic Site, the cruise, three nights in the cabins, the bus from Fortescue Bay and the "Encounters on the Edge" guide book with maps. The terms add that the Port Arthur entry stays valid for two years from your start date. The packing list says the book is complimentary for the first walking season.

The fee is fixed, so skipping a part earns no discount or refund.

Sources for this section: Official site, Book Now, packing list and terms.

The four days

The site gives these distances and times. A 75 minute cruise comes before the day one walk.

The walk goes one way, from Denmans Cove to Fortescue Bay. Unless PWS says otherwise, you spend one night at each cabin, in order, and cannot skip one or stay longer.

The name counts three capes, but the track built so far reaches two, Pillar and Hauy. ABC News reported on 21 December 2015 that the Cape Raoul stage is yet to be built.

Sources for this section: Official site, Experience and terms; Pennicott, Three Capes Track; ABC News, 21 December 2015.

The huts: Surveyors, Munro and Retakunna

The site says cabins, and its packing list says huts. Each takes up to 48 walkers a night. You get bunk beds with vinyl mattresses (no pillow), gas cooktops, basic cookware, toilets, rainwater and heating in the shared areas. Munro has a cold water outdoor shower. You cannot reserve a bed. A host ranger assigns them, and requests are accommodated where possible.

You carry the rest. The packing list names a sleeping bag rated to 0°C, a liner, and food for 3 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners. No food is sold on the track. The list asks for lightweight crockery and cutlery, such as a bowl, plate and mug. It lists a pack of around 50 litres and says that, if you follow the list and choose lightweight options, your pack should weigh no more than 12 kg, including 2 litres of water.

Sources for this section: Official site, FAQs, Trip Essentials, packing list and terms.

Boat, bus and timing

Check in at Port Arthur Historic Site at least 90 minutes before your boat leaves. Be at the meeting point at least 20 minutes before departure. Boats leave at 11:30 am and 2 pm. If you miss your boat and tell the check-in desk at once, PWS may seat you on a later boat that day, if there is room. Without a seat, your booking is treated as cancelled and you are not entitled to a refund, unless the boat operator agrees to a direct trip that day.

Allow at least 90 minutes by road from Hobart to Port Arthur. Pennicott Wilderness Journeys runs the cruise. Its Hobart bus leaves at 8 am, reaches Port Arthur at 9:45 am, and costs A$35 per person each way. You need to pre-book. Parking and luggage storage are included, but the terms do not guarantee a space.

At the end, you can take a 2 pm or 4 pm shuttle from Fortescue Bay to Port Arthur, arranged when you book. Be at Fortescue Bay at least 20 minutes before it leaves. The site recommends the 2 pm shuttle for getting to Hobart that day, though Pennicott says both connect with its bus back to Hobart.

Sources for this section: Official site, Book Now, Trip Essentials, FAQs and terms; Pennicott, Three Capes Track.

Fitness and weather

The site grades the walk easy to moderate and says it was designed for a broad range of ages and abilities. It says that if you exercise regularly and can walk about four hours a day, four days in a row, you will be fine. To build fitness, it recommends starting with a 30 minute daily walk and building up to four hours. It also says to trial walking with your pack.

The track is a metre wide, with built steps on the steep parts. Instead of artificial barriers, the track uses natural features such as large boulders to reduce exposure, and you decide how close to go. The packing list says to expect a variety of weather, often in one day. Sunny, calm conditions are common, but it warns of strong winds, rain and sea fog. Trip Essentials gives daytime temperatures of 16 to 19°C in summer and 11 to 12°C in winter.

In the terms you accept that there is no road access to the track and that evacuating injured or ill walkers is difficult. PWS strongly recommends travel insurance. Mobile reception is available on days one and two, partly on day three and at most places on day four, though not every provider has service.

Sources for this section: Official site, home page, FAQs, Trip Essentials, packing list and terms.